Limbs On The Cheap

Prosthetic limbs often cost tens of thousands of dollars. Tina Rosenberg explores the third-world alternative, the Jaipur Limb, which was invented in the 1960s:

The idea was to make a limb that could be fabricated and fitted by an artisan with a few weeks’ training, using local materials. They did not patent their design — anyone can use it. Today, the materials for each Jaipur Limb cost between $35 and $45. The whole process of making one, including overhead and labor, costs between $100 and $200.